By BRUSSELS. Dec 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg states that at this stage, Russia is trying to freeze, at least for a short time the current situation in the theater of operations of the war against Ukraine in order to restore its forces and launch a new offensive next spring.
"What we see now is that Russia is actually attempting to try to have some kind of freeze of this war, at least for a short period of time, so they can regroup, repair and recover, and try to launch a bigger offensive next spring," Stoltenberg said in a statement on Wednesday during an interview with Financial Time.
Responding to a question about the possible "weariness" of the allies from this war, the secretary general indicated that it was necessary to understand that Putin made two big strategic mistakes when he decided to invade Ukraine, completely underestimating the Ukrainians and underestimating NATO allies and partners, their commitment to stand next to Ukraine, to support Ukraine, which we have been doing for many years. He said NATO is supporting Ukraine, its right to self-defense. Ukrainians are defending their own country and NATO allies and partners are providing unprecedented support to Ukrainian effort If Putin wins, it will be a tragedy for Ukrainians, as well as serious consequences for all of Europeans, making allies more vulnerable and the world more dangerous. We cannot let President Putin win, Stoltenberg said.
Commenting at the request of the FT on recent attacks on military airfields in Russia, Stoltenberg said he has no information on these specific cases. But he said Ukraine is protecting itself. NATO officials need to understand the broader context, as they see daily Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, critical infrastructure. What Russia is trying to do is use winter as a weapon to deprive Ukrainian civilians of water, electricity, heat. This is a brutal war that affects all civilians and shows the brutality of the Russian invasion, and Ukraine has every right to defend itself against this kind of attack, according to Stoltenberg.
Answering the question whether there are conditions for starting peace talks, the Secretary General expressed the opinion that there are no such conditions now. He said now there are no conditions, because Russia does not show signs of readiness for negotiations, and this is to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. It is not for NATO or Brussels to decide, but for the Ukrainians when there is time to start negotiations. This is a sovereign, democratic, independent state that defends itself from an aggressive war, according to Stoltenberg.
Stoltenberg said most wars, and most likely this war, end at the negotiating table, but what happens at this table depends entirely on the situation on the battlefield. He said if NATO wants the result to be that Ukraine wins as a sovereign state, the organization must provide military assistance to Ukraine. There can be a lasting peace only if the aggressor does not win. The paradox is that the more NATO wants to reach a peaceful negotiated solution that guarantees a Ukrainian victory, the more urgent military support needs to be provided to Ukraine in order to create conditions for a just and lasting peace, the NATO Secretary General said.
